Iron County, UT Environmental Rules: Defensible Space (2026)

Section 8.24.010 adopts the International Urban Wildland Interface Code for unincorporated Iron County, incorporating the amendments the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands sets out in R652-122 of the Utah Administrative Code, unless the county specifically excepts a provision by its own amendment. Rather than restating defensible-space clearances itself, Iron County's zoning ordinance cross-references that adopted code repeatedly: commercial and small wind energy systems must provide a defensible space for fire protection in accordance with the Iron County wildland-urban interface code under Sections 17.34.040(B)(10) and 17.34.030(C)(10), and the same requirement applies to geothermal power plants under Section 17.35.030(H) and to solar power plants and data centers through their own permit-application chapters.

For a wind energy system, the defensible-space area required by the urban-wildlands interface code must be shown on the site plan submitted with the building permit application under Section 17.34.030(D)(1), alongside setbacks and easements. Iron County's fire code adoption under Chapter 15.08 separately incorporates the International Fire Code for the Cedar City/Iron County fire department to enforce, so defensible-space compliance for energy facilities and general fire-hazard reduction both trace back to the same adopted wildland-fire code framework rather than a standalone county 'defensible space' ordinance.